Kasteel van Zellaer

I felt like my time in Europe was lacking in incidental castles. I’d heard Kasteel van Zellaer recently underwent renovations and was surrounded by lovely forests. Since it’s only 30 minutes away, Chris and I took advantage of his having Tuesday off for All Saints Day while the kids were in school to check it out. We parked in a church parking lot near the woods and continued on foot.

There’s been a castle on this spot since at least the Thirteenth Century, but the current iteration dates to 1885, when Baron de Vriere worked with local Mechelen architect Heugenbaarts to draw up plans. They enlisted local farmers to haul white limestone from the demolished forts of Vilvoorde to the site by horse and cart.

Interestingly, this castle is neo-Gothic, a style that became popular around this time inspired by medieval Gothic and romanticized interest in the Middle Ages. It was a backlash against the previously popular but cool and austere Classicism. Neo-Gothic style revived battlements, moats, and other fanciful elements, just for the whimsy of it.

Everything I’d heard about this castle is true! Miles of walking paths and tree avenues surround the moated towers, and this time of year the leaves swirled in the shallow water and in the air around us. It’s been extremely windy as the nice warm weather we were having cools into more expected autumn temperatures, but the sunshine kept the atmosphere very civilized. During the summer there is a pop-up bar, and I think the castle is open for tours once a month, although I can’t find any information on this now.

Kasteel van Zellaer is quite close to Mechelen, so we popped over to Beans for lunch. They had pumpkin spice lattes on the menu! Last year at a Starbucks I asked the barista, “Does anyone order that?” and he told me, “No, only Americans.” I don’t like sweet coffee; Chris likes sweet coffee very much. We both ordered one and they were DELICIOUS. Chris likes sweet coffee very much, and we both loved it. Not as syrupy as Starbucks. Perfect for this fall day!